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mediocracy
[ mee-dee-ok-ruh-see ]
noun
- government or rule by a mediocre person or group.
Word History and Origins
Origin of mediocracy1
Compare Meanings
How does mediocracy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Odenkirk plays Hank Devereaux, a college English professor who is also the chair of the department at an under-funded Pennsylvania college he describes as “mediocracy’s capital.”
Hall’s letter accuses the board of “embracing performance mediocracy, large salaries and other egregious compensation practices instead of developing an actionable plan to stem value destruction”
Not only does Smith believe that the entire country has come "ultra-sensitive," but he believes the nation has accepted mediocracy, and "no one really is striving to create the best-in-class standards for one another."
"There’s not an offensive issue, it’s been a defensive issue. The problem that I’m having with football today is, it’s been watered down, and guys are getting away with mediocracy. Kids don’t know how to tackle, they don’t know how to work, and the whole entire country has become ultra-sensitive."
Then there’s Kevin J. McGroarty, who died in 2014 “after battling a long fight with mediocracy,” and who noted in his apparently self-penned obituary that the church he was baptized in burned to the ground, his elementary school had been torn down, and his middle school converted into an apartment building.
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More About Mediocracy
What does mediocracy mean?
Where does mediocracy come from?
The first recorded use of mediocracy comes from an 1845 Whig Party resolution referring to the administration of President James K. Polk as a “reign of shuffling incompetency and mousing mediocracy” (the Whigs would have won Twitter, apparently). Mediocracy is a blend of mediocre and the Greek root -cracy, meaning “rule,” “government,” or “governing body” (as in democracy and aristocracy). Mediocre comes from the Latin mediocris, meaning “in a middle state” (literally “at middle height”).
Just as an aristocracy is a government run by aristocrats, a mediocracy is a government of leaders considered mediocre—unexceptional or inferior. The defining feature of a mediocracy is that those in power lack the quality or skill that is normally expected of leaders. The term is most often used in political commentary to refer to governments considered incompetent or ineffective. It can also be applied to organizations outside of government, such as businesses, as in After the original leadership team was fired, standards were lowered across the board and this place turned into a mediocracy.
Mediocracy isn’t only the negative label for unfavorable governments. It is similar to terms like kakistocracy (rule by the worst) and kleptocracy (rule by thieves).
Mediocracy is rarely used. For that reason, it may be mistaken for the word mediocrity, which means “the quality or state of being mediocre.”
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to mediocracy?
- mediocracies (plural)
What are some words that share a root or word element with mediocracy?
What are some words that often get used in discussing mediocracy?
What are some words mediocracy may be commonly confused with?
How is mediocracy used in real life?
Mediocracy is most commonly used in a political context to criticize a leader or an administration as being unqualified, incompetent, ineffective, or just plain bad.
In the end, any functioning democracy is destined to become a mediocracy.
— James Madison (@Hitchens4) November 7, 2012
The ugly truth. It is so frustrating and hurts this great country. We end up with mediocre white men as President instead of brilliant women running this country. White men are not vetted even close to how women and men of color are vetted which ends up giving us mediocracy.
— yogurtandbluebas (@Momma_DE_) February 9, 2020
South Africa has now officially become a mediocracy. A form of government in which mediocrity rules.
— Gus Silber (@gussilber) December 9, 2015
Try using mediocracy!
Is mediocracy used correctly in the following sentence?
If you want to achieve greatness, you can’t settle for mediocracy.
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